Weightmansin-house system insures profitsWeightmans has found a money-spinner to boost income, selling the document management system and know-how it developed in-house.The brainchild of the Liverpool-based firm's professional indemnity division, the system has been sold to one 'household name' insurer.

A local authority is also interested.According to Frank Maher, head of professional indemnity, the low-cost system uses existing software packages - for example, Adobe Acrobat - used by many companies or cheaply acquired.

Documents are scanned into Adobe format, categorised and linked to an Access data-base modified for each case, he said.

Once documents are scanned, which costs little more than photocopying, they can be easily searched and copied onto compact discs which can cut preparation time by as much as three-quarters, he said.Mr Maher said that although the firm was offering the system and expertise at an hourly rate, it would consider fixed-rate arrangements.See Editorial, page 16Sue Allen